Title: 13
Author: JBG
Last saved by: Valued Gateway Client
Company: Auth CO

© 2001  Joe Griffin

01-04-26.JSH-473 /

The Inscrutable Question: Baptism of Fire, 2 Thess 1:7-10; Matt 24:36,40-42; Mal 4:1-2; Ritual Baptisms: Baptism of John, Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1
9)	In addition, Paul draws a definite distinction between the “Day of the Lord” and the “Day of Christ.”  The former has to do with the Second Advent and the baptisms of fire while the latter refers to the termination of the Church Age at the rapture.  Paul’s initial comments on the baptisms of fire are found in: 
2 Thessalonians 1:7b -	The Lord shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
v. 8 -	dealing out retribution [ end result of the baptisms of fire for Jewish & Gentile unbelievers ] to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
v. 9 -	And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
v. 10 -	when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day [ Second Advent ], and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
10)	Unfortunately, the same kind of confusion that existed in the church at Thessalonica in the first century is still found today among believers in the twenty-first century.  Passages that describe the baptisms of fire at the Second Advent are interpreted as if they were dealing with the rapture of the church.
11)	One such passage is that of the baptism of fire for the Gentiles in:
Matthew 24:36 -	“But of that day and hour [ Second Advent ] no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Matthew 24:40 -	“Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken [ an unbeliever Gentile is transferred from the earth to Torments in Hades ] and one will be left [ a believer Gentile is preserved to enter into the millennial kingdom ].
v. 41 -	“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [ the unbeliever ], and one will be left [ believer ].
v. 42 -	“Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”
12)	The baptism of fire for the Jews is the subject of Ezekiel 20:34-38; Isaiah 1:25-27; Malachi 3:1-6; and:
Malachi 4:1 -	“Behold the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of the armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
v. 2 -	“But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
13)	The baptism of fire for the Gentiles is the subject of Matthew 25:31-46.
C.	The Three Ritual Baptisms:
None of these baptisms are currently operational in the Church Age.  They were intended to serve as visual aids in which water was representative of some principle of doctrine.  Whenever any of these ritual baptisms were performed the believer understood the reality of the doctrines behind the symbolism of the ritual.
1.	The Baptism of John.  
1)	It is imperative to remember that the ministry of John the Baptist took place during the dispensation of the Incarnation which runs concurrently with the dispensation of Israel.

2)	The mission of John the Baptist was the fulfillment of a prophecy found in both Isaiah and Malachi.
Isaiah 40:3 -	A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
Malachi 3:1 -	“Behold, I am going to send My messenger and he will clear the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord.
3)	This messenger was John the Baptist and he delivered his initial message in:
Matthew 3:1 -	Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
v. 2 -	“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
4)	The “kingdom of heaven” refers to the earthly kingdom that according to the prophets would be set up by Messiah who would rule over all the earth with Israel as His client nation.
5)	This initial offer of the kingdom was issued only to Israel and remained so for the first part of the Lord’s ministry.  The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, is the Lord’s explanation of that kingdom over which He would rule.
6)	These three chapters document our Lord’s explanation to the Jews of the policies He would institute and enforce within His kingdom.

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